Photo by Hank Lohmeyer A warning sign alerts drivers of lane damage ahead on a Cedaredge town street.

Town streets remain a top citizen complaint for the Cedaredge Town Board and there may be renewed focus on budgeting for the problem in 2018.

For the second year in a row, the town board begins its budget discussions with a call for high priority on maintenance of the asphalt on town streets.

At a work session in July Dayton Myers told fellow trustees and town staff, "The one thing I hear the most complaints about from people is about streets."

Myers advocated a project of asphalt overlay for the town streets, and he added, "We'll never have enough [money] to rebuild them at a million dollars per mile."

The town's cracked asphalt and crumbling pavement looked as if they were going to become a top priority under the 2017 budget. The mayor said, during discussions in 2016, it was the top complaint he received from residents. "You have to let people in town know you are working on this issue," Mayor Gene Welch said.

However, before the debate last fall was over the road budget was set at $60,000, much less than originally proposed.

Administration said there wasn't enough money to fix the street problems. Ideas such as eliminating the Main Street enhancement project to free up more money for general street repair were rejected.

The first official meetings on the 2018 budget will take place on Thursday, Aug. 17. It will be preceded by the dedication of the Jay Avenue bridge beginning at 9 a.m.

The trustees will spend the day at the Civic Center, discussing budget items with staff from 9:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. The town board's regular meeting for August will take place at 7 p.m. the same evening.

There will be a total of seven town board sessions with specific attention to the 2018 budget. The sessions are open to the public. The final budget is scheduled for adoption on Dec. 14.